The present invention relates to miniature emblems and to methods for making them. More particularly, the invention relates to a method in which one drop or less of a fluent plastic composition is deposited onto a shaped, miniature substrate and then cured, and to such miniature emblems as produced.
Decorative emblems are used in a number of industries for displaying the trade name, trademark, or other indicia of a manufacture, as well as in novelty items such as key rings, belt buckles, and the like where their role is primarily ornamentation. Years ago, decorative emblems were formed from vitreous enamel which gave the emblem a glass-like appearance and protected the emblem against weathering. More recently, such emblems have been made using plastic in place of enamel.
Waugh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,010, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a plastic-capped decorative emblem which is formed by casting a polyurethane composition onto the indicia-bearing surface of a decorative foil disc. By holding the disc in a flat, horizontal position and using the appropriate casting techniques, the polyurethane flows to the edge of the disc, stops and builds a positive meniscus, which when cured provides an impact and weather resistant glass-like lens cap. Rockwood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,588, the disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an emblem, having a plastic lens cap which is sufficiently flexible to conform to the curvature of a surface.
Decorative emblems prepared using the teachings of the aforementioned patents are typically coated on the back side with a pressure sensitive adhesive and either applied directly to the surface they are designed to adorn or inserted into a base member or bezel and then attached to the surface. In the former case, if the plastic cap is formed from a material which is flexible when cured, the shape can conform to curved non-planar surfaces.
Flip-up cell phones can be damaged when they are closed. Preventing such damage is necessary to increase the durability of the cell phones. Flexible, cushioning, plastic “bumpers” can be used to prevent such damage. While the flexible plastic emblems discussed above would serve that purpose, the flexible emblems of the prior art are too large to serve this purpose.
Therefore, there is a need for a method of making miniature emblems.